In order to optimize crop yield it is generally necessary prior to planting to till the soil and kill weeds which would otherwise rob the soil of valuable moisture and nutrients. Many presently available farm implements utilize some from of generally V-shaped or arrow-shaped sweep which is drawn through the ground beneath the surface cutting the roots of weeds that are in its path of travel.
The prior arrow-shaped cultivating sweeps have a forwardmost ground penetrating point and a pair of wings which diverge outwardly and rearwardly from the point. The wings have outermost cutting edges which cut the weed roots as the sweep moves through the ground. The wings are typically unsupported at their ends and have a tendency to throw and roll the dirt so as to form a ridge of dirt and bury the surface plant material as the sweep is worked through the ground.
The cited prior practice has a number of problems or shortcomings. The ridges left by the arrow-shaped sweeps create a rough weed bed which makes proper seeding somewhat difficult. Furthermore, the tendency of the sweeps to throw and roll dirt and thereby cover up the surface plant materials increases the likelihood and severity of water and wind erosion and furthermore decreases the amount of surface plant material that is available to trap snow, resulting in a decreased amount of snow melt and a corresponding decrease in the amount of moisutre available for the crop in the Spring. The tendency of the prior arrow-shaped sweeps to throw and roll the dirt creates a substantial drag on the sweep and results in a corresponding power consumption requirement for the farm implement which pulls the sweep through the ground. The unsupported ends of the wings tend to experience excessive wear and deformation as the wings encounter rocks in the ground, and as the wings wear, their effective width and correspondingly their effective cutting ability decreases.
Consequently, a need exists for improvements in cultivator sweeps which will result in decreased soil disturbance and increased wing strength.